Darkest Before Dawn
by Eyir-AllMight
Summary: Picks up right before AFO first fight. A story of a powerful healing quirk, childhood memories, and friendship blossoming into love. Will Have a Sequel, it is a WIP. Pre BNHA manga/anime
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

All Might was conferring with the police near where they all suspected All For One was hiding. Tension was thick in the air. While more heroes were on standby All Might had insisted that only Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino actively help him. They were the ones he trusted the most. From the corner of his eye he saw Recovery Girl standing with another female hero. 'What a statuesque bearing… she's lovely' was the first thought crossing his mind. A vague feeling of familiarity crosses his mind. Where this another time and place he would invite her for a coffee. Shrugging off the errant thoughts he refocused on his task. Because the unknown woman was standing with Recovery Girl, he assumed her to be her sidekick or something similar, she probably also had a healing quirk. According to Nighteye he would come out alive from the fight, but even Nighteye admitted to his condition being blurry. Today was the day the destiny entrusted to him by his mentor would be fulfilled… today All For One would be no more.

Tenshi Hitomi professionally known as ER Hero: Eyir stood next to Recovery Girl, they already knew what they had to do and were now just grimly watching the other Pro Heroes and the police working in perfecting the plan. It was mostly futile and everyone around knew it, since plans never survived first contact with the enemy. She could feel All Might's gaze on her for a brief moment, but wasn't surprised when he failed to recognise her. Not only had it been years since they had been in the same room together, but she had changed drastically in that time. She could also say rather proudly that she had just about mastered her quirk in that time. She stopped herself from reminiscing those times where a hand, attached to a glowing smile and warm blue eyes helped her up from the mud other children their age had pushed her into. A sudden thunderclap reverberated throughout their makeshift command centre and like a sign from the heavens rain started pouring down. If there were gods, they had spoken, the time for talking was over, it was time for action.

It was chaos, the underlings of All For One, while numerous where mostly cannon fodder and easy to take down. All Might tried to leave them to Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye to take care of, he was there for one reason and one reason only, take down All For One once and for all. Not just because it was the duty handed to him through generations of One For All users but because he wanted… no he needed to avenge his master. Nana Shimura… the woman who taught him to always smile, no matter how tough it became. _"So, no matter how scary things get, give 'em a smile, as if to say, I'm a-ok. The people in this world who can smile, are always the strongest." _Like a breath in the wind he heard some of her teachings in his ears. With an almighty roar he crashed once more against All For One, the immense shockwave sending debris and even the people surrounding them flying. He was getting tired, but he could see that so was All For One. They had been at this for what felt like hours, though truthfully it was probably closer to 45 min.

"You can't stop me All Might! My weak brother couldn't and none of the others could either" All Might ignored All For One, it was hard but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. After one more titanic clash, they both separated themselves to take a slight breather. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, the rain was still pounding mercilessly all around them.

"That woman tried her best, and I will admit that she was strong, but even her strength was not enough. She died screaming and alone, like all the rest". Rage became to cloud All Might's eyes and All For One noticed so he kept up his taunts.

"Yes, pitifully indeed. She cried for you; you know? As I played with her one last time. I wiped her infuriating smile off this Earth!"

Lightning crashed closer than ever before and in that flash light you could see All Might's eyes blaze with fury and maybe tears, with a roar that could rival the echoing thunder he propelled himself across the gap between them. He was so angry, so emotional that he failed to spot the trap until it was too late.

There was a wet and sucking sound and suddenly surrounding heroes and villains froze when a sound they never thought they'd hear surrounded them all. All Might was screaming in sheer agony, a sharp, never-ending scream. All For One had impaled All Might in a black spear produced from his hand. With another wet sucking sound All For One withdrew the spear and watched with glee as All Might trembled and fell down.

Sir Nighteye gazed in horror… he could see 'through' All Might and if he glanced at the ground, he would see copious amounts of blood and what looked like pieces of intestines in the ground. This was bad, he hadn't foreseen this. HOW had he not foreseen this? Gran Torino was likewise staring in a terrified silence. Toshinori, Nana's hope for the world was grievously injured, he was failed in upholding his promise to Nana. Surprisingly enough even while struggling to hold his intestines in, and bleeding copiously from the wound and mouth All Might struggled to stand.

'Damn, I made an idiotic mistake' those were his last thoughts, but even as he was dying All Might was determined to take down All For One with him, using one last burst of speed he channelled everything of One For All he could muster into his right fist and delivered a devastating blow to All For One. He had moved so fast and because he was too busy gloating All For One failed to react, the blow crushed his skull and face. He could feel himself blacking out, right before All Might could deliver one more blow a black oily black substance boiled up from All For One's mangled form and seemed to teleport him away. It was doubtful he would survive such an injury and with a grimace All Might finally let himself fall once more. The last thing he was the glimmer of dawn peeking into the sky, it seems the storm had finally abated and pale golden sunshine was finally peeking through the clouds. It was a good omen. Distantly he thought he heard a female voice cry his name, not All Might's name, but his real name, Toshinori Yagi.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

While the whole fight was happening Recovery Girl and Eyir where busy doing patch up jobs as close to the fight as they could get, sometimes darting into the field proper to reach one of their injured allies. As healers they wanted nothing more than to help properly but while the fight continued a patch up job was all they could manage.

Eyir had just turned her gaze to see the progress of the fight when she saw the unthinkable happen as if in slow motion. The beat of her heart, pounded in her ears, seeming to drown out even the storm raging upon them. Lightening flashed the brightest yet and with it the blazing blue of All Might's eyes seemed to flash, he was absolutely furious, and judging from his reckless charge, completely irrational, with a gasp she saw All For One ready a jagged black spear that he apparently produced from his hand and with a wide, triumphant smile lunge towards All Might, who in his blind rage failed to spot how wide open his guard was.

Eyir opened her mouth to shout the warning, but her voice failed her, she was frozen in fear and with an almighty sickening lurch she saw All Might get impaled so far down the spear the jagged point came out the other end. At first, the world seemed to be in a state of pause, when it resumed when the first of the agonized screams reached her ears. A second sickening lurch marked the point when All For One withdrew the weapon from All Might's torso. Eyir was in a panic, not just because of her healer instincts but because she was about to lose a man that was incredibly important to her, the fact that he didn't remember her was not important. She needed to tell him everything and now it looked that the opportunity was going to be ripped from her grasp. Eyir was dimly aware of hands holding her back, a glimpse of yellow and white told her it was Gran Torino. In her desperation fuelled by memories and healer instincts she was going to throw herself between both adversaries.

After All Might managed to land that last devastating blow but just before All For One warped away, Eyir managed to rip herself away from the hands holding her back. Her hands were already glowing green while she hurried to All Might. Using her quirk, her eyes widened at the amount of damage he had received. Half a lung was missing and the whole stomach and parts of the intestines were shredded beyond repair. Or well to any other doctor or healing quirk they would be. Thankfully her own quirk Absolute Recovery allowed her to regrow anything from tissues, to missing limbs and even organs. The only thing she couldn't help with was the heart or brain. It had some severe drawbacks in that it used her own stamina and if she went beyond that limit, she would lose consciousness and most of the use of her quirk for days, maybe even months. But for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, for Toshinori she would gladly do that sacrifice.

Throwing caution to the wind Eyir accessed the full power of her quirk, her hands glowing a blinding green. It seemed to shine brighter and brighter, her hair actually levitating behind her. Suddenly a warm golden glow started to emanate from her eyes, her hands also shining gold. The tattoo on her back that was normally hidden by her hair glowing the brightest of all. It showed the shape of the Rod of Asclepius a god of healing.

Gran Torino chased after Eyir only to stop in amazement. He knew she had a powerful healing quirk but looking at her now, it was amazing just how powerful it was. Even from the distance he was standing he saw Toshinori get slowly better. He was still unconscious and a brief faltering of the healing light told him Eyir was overusing the quirk and was not far from fainting herself. He felt more than Saw Sir Nighteye and Recovery Girl standing next to him. When he saw Eyir falter again he quickly dashed to her side and caught her, gently laying her next to All Might who's wound had been mostly healed, or at least that's what it looked like to his eyes. Recovery Girl was quick to get to both of them and with a use of her quirk on All Might she stabilized what Eyir could not heal. The reason why she didn't heal it was simply because All Might was simply too exhausted and since her quirk used the affected person's energy then it could have had a negative effect. She next turned to check over Eyir, sighing quietly with what she found.

"Foolish girl almost got herself killed by quirk over-use. She's going to be out of it for at least a week, but even though I want to be angry with her, we all owe her a debt." Looking gravely at both Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino, Recovery Girl continued with her usual bluntness.

"If it wasn't for her All Might could very well have died right here, because of her recklessness in healing she reconstructed a whole stomach, fixed his intestines and almost managed to heal the lung. Unfortunately, I myself can't finish restoring the lung, the fact that my quirk uses energy from the affected means I could actually do more harm than good now so I just stabilised him so we can take him to a hospital." Taking a breath, she continued with her news. "Yagi-san will survive with some moderate scarring and a weaker respiratory system. Nothing that can't be fixed further down the road honestly. Still we should take them to a hospital and keep watch" while those were good news, they were still received with a heavy heart. It was clear to all the Pro Heroes available and the police that was let in on the investigation that had it not been for the presence of Eyir, then All Might would have died tonight. And if by some chance he had survive, he would've become a shadow of what he is today. All in all, they had been immensely lucky.

All Might was dead… 'funny' he thought ironically in his last, or what he perceived to be his last, thought process, 'death is no reprieve, everything hurts' his thoughts were lethargic and because of that it took him a while to notice that he still felt things other than pain. Everything was dark, it was a darkness that was darker than black, it just seemed to swallow everything, like a void. Yet while he could feel pain, he also felt himself floating or more like falling weightlessly into nothing. He couldn't see anything not even his hand which he presumed he was waving in front of his face. All Might resigned himself to an eternity of darkness and pain. It took him a while to notice that the darkness was receding slightly and as it did, so too the pain receded. A warm golden glow, like that of the sunrise he last saw before dying was starting to encompass everything. It was comforting. In the warm glow he saw his body, beaten up and bloody, yet it failed to worry him. As soon as the golden light suffused his surroundings it disappeared.

"No wait! Please don't leave me" Grasping desperately towards the horizon All Might could only watch helplessly as the light left, leaving him in darkness once more. Before he could register much more, he felt himself finally falling, quite fast he might add, before slamming painfully unto, something. Many things happened at that moment, as soon as he slammed into the unknown thing All Might woke up to find himself strapped to a hospital bed, a tube going down his throat and machines monitoring his vitals. He gagged and thrashed around, the machines recording his agitation. Scores of doctors and nurses ran in, trying to hold him down lest he reopened the wound. Gradually All Might calmed himself down, it seemed he had just had some sort of out-of-body experience and when he fell, he literally slammed back into his body. It was grounding, just how close to death he had been, or maybe he actually had died and miraculously returned. Once he was settled the doctors left him alone to rest. Turning his head slightly to the side he noticed that there was one other person on a bed next to him. Where it not for the auburn hair he wouldn't have recognised Eyir, she was so pale she almost blended in with the white sheets, and she seemed to be deeply asleep, perhaps in a coma. He wondered what injured her so much to leave her like that, since as a healer she was supposed to stay in support. Then again, he figured she was just exhausted. In his drug-addled mind he never stopped to think that the reason she was like that was because she had healed him and overused her quirk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hitomi Tenshi slept for almost 2 weeks. In that time the hero know as All Might was also deemed to be out of danger from his surgery, and though he was released from the hospital was cautioned to take it easy and thus, decided to rest from hero duty until Hitomi awakened. Every day he visited her sleeping form and would sit beside her. Sometimes he sat in silence, other times he read to her or talked to her about mundane things. Once he was released from the hospital Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye had told him the truth about the severity of his injuries and why he had made such a miraculous recovery.

Knowing that the only reason he was alive was lying almost dead on the hospital bed besides his left him with a heavy heart and the need to apologize. He couldn't apologize and make up to her if she didn't wake up though, so every day he sat by her side and waited. In all that time he couldn't help but take her in, her deep auburn her, pale skin (skin that had thankfully regained a healthy pink colour), slender figure. Her face was angular with defined cheekbones and a nice and smooth jawline. He felt guilty for clearly checking her out while she was unconscious but he couldn't help it, certainly Tenshi Hitomi certainly honoured her name. she looked like a beautiful, sleeping angel. Yet even as he studied her features a niggling feeling of familiarity nestled next to the guilt, but try as he might he didn't know why he felt he knew Tenshi Hitomi from somewhere. As far as he knew he had only met her for the first time a few hours before his fight with All For One. Suddenly a quiet moan drew his attention. It seems the object of his contemplation was finally waking up. Toshinori sat up straighter, ready to call out to the doctors in case it was needed.

Hitomi Tenshi woke up quietly, a far different cry to how Toshinori himself awoke. After the brief fluttering of her eyes, Toshinori helpfully dimmed the lights a little which allowed her to fully open her eyes and take in her surroundings. Toshinori's first reaction to seeing her haunting violet eyes was to gulp quietly, 'those are some otherworldly and beautiful eyes' was his thought. He was so lost in thought that he failed to see how Hitomi was staring at him too, when he finally noticed a blush graced his face before he managed to compose himself once more.

"Tenshi-san, I'm glad to see you awake once more" his voice sounded overly gruff to his ears so with a bit of throat clearing he continued, "Would you like a glass of water? Do you want me to call for the Doctors?"

Hitomi struggled to rise from her current position into a sitting one, Toshinori was quick to help her up and plump her pillows at the same time. She swallowed a smile, it seems that even with his lack of recognition, he was still the same gentle soul she met back in middle school. It was good to know that he was still the picture of a bashful gentleman. She accepted the glass of water he held out to her, but declined the need to call the doctors. Even weak as she was, she was still a doctor herself with a severely weakened healing quirk, but a quirk nonetheless, she knew the doctors could wait for a little bit longer.

"Thank you, Yagi-san, or well should I call you All Might?" She registered the surprise on his face since not only was he in civilian attire but he was also out of his muscle form. Hitomi giggled.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, you might not remember me, but I knew you from before, and even though your hero form is amazing, your eyes and smile are still the same. Bright blue with a shining but warm smile. I'm surprised more people from your past don't see the connection, or maybe it's simply because I know you."

"Forgive me Tenshi-san, but how do you know me?" Toshinori was simply quite perplexed at that revelation, so much so, that he forgot his purpose on waiting for her to awaken was to thank her and also apologize for having put her in the position of quirk overuse. Instead his next phrase was something that while he felt was too forward and regretted immediately was something that down the road, he would see was one of his best decisions yet.

"Once you're out of here would you join me for a coffee someday? Maybe we could jog my memories?" As soon as Toshinori registered his words an even stronger blush overtook his features and he was starting to stammer his apologies.

Hitomi didn't answer him, just stared back in mysterious silence before a yawn overtook her silent form. With a tired smile Hitomi finally answered the blushing Pro Hero.

"I would love to join you for a coffee Yagi-san, I will let you know when as soon as I'm released from here. Would you do me the favour of calling on the doctor before I fall asleep again?"

Momentarily blind-sided by her easy acceptance it took Toshinori a while to fully register her statement. With a bashful smile he accepted her statement, and walked out to inform the doctor of Tenshi-san's awakening.

"See you soon then Tenshi-san" was uttered quietly as he left the room.

Hitomi Tenshi didn't remember much more than that as her eyes drifted closed once more, not into unconsciousness but just a simple sleep.

About 3 days after she had first woken up Hitomi was finally released from the hospital with strict instructions to take it easy and rest. Doctors told her that her quirk powers were still depleted but the only one with an accurate gauge of just how depleted they were was Hitomi herself. Each morning of those 3 days All Might visited her with a smile and a funny story, he was still not cleared for Hero work since it seemed he had also used up a lot of power from One For All, besides the heavy trauma his body had suffered. Because of this he visited her in disguise, which was highly amusing to watch. A 7-foot-tall lightly muscled man wearing over-sized civilian clothes, a ball cap and dark sunglasses. But today was the day she could finally return home.

"Tenshi-san!" turning surprised at the call of her name she swallowed a laugh as she once more viewed said muscled giant (even when out of his muscle form, his physique was amazing) attempting to covertly call her name from behind a column. The only reason people didn't actually swarm him was because for some reason they failed to recognise the man with the wall of muscle he would be when in Hero mode.

"Yagi-san. What brings you here today? I was finally cleared to leave?" Tenshi smiled pleasantly, she had a suspicion why he was here today but it was best if he confirmed it.

"Tenshi-san, I was wondering if I could escort you home? I have grown to enjoy your company, even if during most of it you were unconscious. Besides what kind of hero would I be if I didn't escort a lady home?" Toshinori said all this with a completely straight and unwavering smile before he registered his actual words. During that brief waiting time Hitomi finished her hospital discharge and waited patiently for realisation to dawn on his face.

"Wahh not like… I mean I di-didn't. I kn- know you can look after yourself" Toshinori waved his hands wildly around; his face was the brightest shade of red you had seen on a person.

"Sure, you can walk me home" Hitomi accepted with a small smile. Her sudden acceptance earned her a confused sound from Toshinori.

"It took me a while to notice, but I do believe I remember hearing your voice while I was asleep sometimes, I enjoyed your company too" Toshinori blushed again at that piece of information, before valiantly regaining his ever-present smile and gallantly offering his arm. Together they walked away from the hospital. Hitomi with the hope of rekindling a friendship. Toshinori was still amazed she had accepted his offer; he was also looking forward to confirming the offer for grabbing a coffee he had blurted out some days ago. He recalled Hitomi mentioning they had a shared past, and while he was eager to re-discover those memories, in the privacy of his own mind he was also eager to make new memories. They might be acquaintances and tentative friends now, but Toshinori was hoping the friendship would become more solid in the future, and who knows maybe even something more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

They parted ways at her apartment door, not before exchanging phone numbers so they could go grab the promised coffee. For the time being, and until Recovery Girl deemed it otherwise, both heroes were to remain off duty until further notice. An order that chaffed both of them. Toshinori was scared of what Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye would do to him if he disobeyed, same as Hitomi was scared of what Recovery Girl could do to her. So, with that threat hanging over their heads both decided to obey the given directives. Hitomi walked through her small apartment in a daze. It's funny how despite doing nothing but sleep in the hospital she was already so tired and craving her bed. Still before she could do that, she needed to wash away the smell of hospital from her body so, she ignored her oh so tempting bed and walked straight into her bathroom; shedding clothes all the way. Purple bruises marred one of her inner forearms where the hospital IV had been hooked unto her arm. Matching purple bruises also shone under her eyes. She felt sore in ways she had never felt in a long time, memories of training her body to withstand her quirk flooded her mind. With a grateful sigh Hitomi lowered herself into her tub, just letting the warm water wash the soreness and the hospital away.

After what felt like hours soaking, Hitomi was sure she was starting to become a prune so rising from the tub she grabbed a towel and carefully because she was still sore started drying her body off. From the corner of her eye her reflection caught her attention. Hitomi felt her breath catch in her throat. Not because of her paleness, or the bruises no, it was not what was on her body, but rather what was missing from it… her tattoo the main font of her power was gone. Twisting desperately, she saw a slight shimmer denoting where it was. Breathing a little easier she amended her thoughts, the tattoo was so faded it was practically invisible, she knew she had overused her quirk, but faced with the reality of just how depleted she was, was akin to a sucker punch to the stomach. Shakily she sat on the edge of the tub and cried silently. Her quirk would be back, but it would take months, at the most a year. Meanwhile she would be lucky if she could heal a scratch. Essentially, she was quirkless. While she was never one of those that looked down on quirkless people, the fact of the matter remained that after having a quirk for so long, being almost unable to use it was almost like a missing limb. She didn't regret the decision that brought her to this point, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

Bath and crying session done, Hitomi walked shakily to her wardrobe, taking out her most comfortable pyjamas, some red cotton drawstring pants that hung loosely on her hips, and a faded All Might shirt. Not even bothering to pull back the covers, Hitomi let herself collapse in her bed. As soon as her head hit her pillow, she was dead to the world until late next morning.

About 5 blocks from Hitomi's apartment, Toshinori was doing a similar routine. He walked into the lobby of the hotel he owned as All Might; Might Towers. Being the number 1 hero payed ridiculously well and being careful of his investments Toshinori simply had more money that he knew what to do with. Most of his savings he donated to charities, and while he would have loved to only keep what he needed to live comfortably, it just was not possible. His immense strength and intense training schedules necessitated expensive, top of the line equipment, strict diet and personal doctors and nutrition specialists. He walked into the elevator and pressed the button for direct access to the penthouse. If he had been allowed to use his powers he probably would have just jumped onto his balcony. While he had been released from the hospital some time ago, the truth of the matter is that he hadn't been home since, staying over at his hero agency and avoiding mirrors. He had showered but the bathrooms in the agency lacked mirrors. He had also cycled through the same two outfits he kept at the agency. It was maybe a shallow thought, but he hadn't seen the scars left by the battle yet. He was afraid of what they could show. Hitomi had saved his life, but even her power was insufficient to heal him fully and he was missing about half of his left lung. This made breathing a bit harder and would probably limit the amount of time he would be able to stay in his muscle form. Certainly, Hitomi could probably regrow the rest of his lung someday, but he was loath to ask that of her after seeing what continuous use of her powers had caused her.

Toshinori took a deep breath and took off his shirt, standing in only his pants in front of his mirror, he couldn't run away from the truth forever. Surprisingly the scar was not as bad as he thought. It was still huge and covered about a quarter of his chest, but other than still being red from being a new scar, he didn't think he saw too much outer damage. The damage inside his body was another thing altogether and something that would have to be tested out once he was cleared by Recovery Girl.

With one final sigh Toshinori shed the rest of his clothes and walked into his shower, just letting the water pelt his back and relax the tense muscles there. Now that Hitomi was home he could finally let loose a little and thus, Toshinori was also on the verge of crashing from exhaustion. Lathering his hair with the shampoo, he let his thoughts drift to what Sir Nighteye had told him a few days ago. Something about starting to look for a successor. All Might disagreed, and managed to hold off the discussion until the full extent of his injury was known. But he knew it was not the last he would hear about that argument. He couldn't retire, not yet. Not only because he was still young and in his prime, but because as the Symbol of Peace the world needed what he represented as a pillar. He was needed so the world didn't descend into chaos and evil. Groaning he let the water pound his body one last time while before closing the shower, drying himself off and tossing on some old boxers from his drawers. He didn't bother with more clothes before collapsing on his bed. His sleep was at first plagued by memories of the injury, All For One's laugh, and his strange out of body experience. Thankfully they soon moved on to the strange golden glow and blessed dreamless sleep. Or if he did dream it remained forgotten to his mind.

Two days later found Toshinori getting ready to go out on the long-promised coffee outing with Tenshi san. Toshinori didn't know why he was so nervous. He was almost acting as if he were going on a date; which was impossible. This was simply to acquaintances wishing to reconnect. Sighing he put on his favourite pair of camo pants with big pockets. And a plain white t-shirt. He grabbed a belt to properly secure the pants to his waist. He might like loose fitting clothes but he wasn't a hooligan or shabby in general. His like of loose clothes came from a love of comfort after wearing a skin tight hero suit most of the day, every day. Not that the suit wasn't comfortable, it had to be in order to more effectively fight crime, but it was a different sort of comfort. And also because of convenience, while he tended to actively avoid trouble areas when off duty, sometimes the universe had other ideas, and if he was forced to go into his muscle form while out of his hero costume, he wanted to remain clothed thank you very much. With a nervous sigh he grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out of his house.

Hitomi was also getting ready back in her own apartment. Taking a glimpse at the weather outside her bedroom window, she noticed it was a bright and sunny day, and since it was still summer, the temperature was bound to be warm and pleasant. Keeping that in mind she chose a red, short-sleeved button down that went nicely with her hair. Hitomi chose to pair it with some jean shorts that showed off her long legs and some black flats. Tying her long hair up in a messy ponytail Hitomi checked everything she would need was in her purse before grabbing her keys and heading out towards the coffee shop she had agreed to meet Toshinori at.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Walking into the cafe Hitomi was pleasantly surprised to find Yagi-san already waiting for her. He seemed to have claimed a table outside, possible so he could stretch his legs easier. Even outside of his muscle form Yagi was really tall, really his height didn't change with the transformation. He was always 7'2. Hitomi never knew why people didn't make the connection between him and All Might but looking carefully from where she was standing, she could see that his true form was just different enough to get away with it. All Might's hair was the same golden colour as Yagi-san's but where All Might's hair was slicked back except his front bangs which resembled either horns or bunny ears (depends on who you asked) and tame-looking, Yagi-san's hair was wild and untamed, it almost looked like a lion's mane. He had two longer bangs that hanged on either side of his face.

Hitomi wondered just how much product he used when preparing his hair for Hero work since it didn't change shape even after battle. Another difference was obviously his musculature. All Might was known to be super buff, with bulging muscles everywhere so when you actually met him in person while his height was intimidating, people tended to focus on his muscles more. When looking at Yagi you'd see a build that more matched his ridiculous height of lightly compacted muscles. You could definitely tell he was fit and trim, usually one could only see that when he wore turtlenecks in winter, since he preferred looser clothes the rest of the year, but the muscles didn't really bulge comically and made his clothes tight. Yagi also tended to slouch a bit when walking and standing to disguise his height a bit, but when he was All Might he always stood tall.

Reaching the chosen table, she approached greeted Yagi with a cheery wave and a smile.

"Afternoon Yagi-san! I hope you weren't waiting too long for me here"

Toshinori raised his eyes and smiled the same warm smile he always had and greeted Tenshi-san right back.

"Good afternoon Tenshi-san. No, I have only been here for about 5 minutes or so." Taking a glance at what she was wearing caused a slight blush to form on his face. "I must say you look very nice, I'm glad to see no lasting harm from the hospital stay"

Hitomi smiled at the compliment, even though there was still a residual twinge about her still recovering quirk. Eyeing Yagi-san she saw he was in his usual comfort over style clothes. Not that he looked bad in the slightest, the simplicity suited him.

"I must say that for such a loud colour scheme when in your hero outfit your choice of everyday fashion is quite a 180 Yagi-san, it suits you." Toshinori blushed again, feeling his heart thump a bit more heavily than usual.

"Shall we order our coffees? I do believe we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" With a nod Hitomi agreed, and without further ado flagged down one of the passing waiters.

"I'd like a cappuccino please, with no added sugar and for Yagi-san…" Hitomi trailed off as she realised that she didn't know what he would prefer for a drink.

Picking up where she had left, Toshinori spoke up, "I would like a mochaccino please, go light on the whipped cream" with a nod and a quick recap of their orders the waiter scurried off and left them in a somewhat awkward silence. Neither of them knew how to begin the conversation.

"So uhhh, why don't you tell me why it seems you knew me from before, even to the point who I am?" Hitomi smiled thankfully at the opening and thought a bit on where to start her tale.

"Well, you were in the same middle school as I was, though you were two years my senior. It was not the first time I had seen you though. I was a late bloomer when it comes to my quirk, it didn't manifest until I was 7, almost 8 you see. The fact that I wore, thick glasses, and kept my considerably shorter hair in pigtails; combined by my apparent quirkless status was a recipe for bullying." Hitomi paused her retelling to accept their coffee order. They drank a bit of the coffee, enjoying the taste before Hitomi continued with her tale.

"Once my quirk manifested, I couldn't control it, and would at times get exhausted from healing a simple scratch, we didn't know then that my quirk was conditional on my stamina, so the more physically fit I am the better I can handle the quirk. Because it was a healing quirk it wasn't flashy so the bullying continued. I remember a bold as brass kid, tall for his age just stopping the bullies one day when I was playing in the park." Hitomi drank a bit more of her coffee before continuing, "I didn't know it was you until some years later though, I just remembered that that kid had bright golden hair, and fierce blue eyes, he roared so loud while tackling the bullies and giving them a scare, at first I thought it was a lion."

Toshinori listened to her attentively, chuckling briefly at her likening him to a lion, but then again; a hand went up to ruffle his unruly golden hair, it was a fair description. While she was telling this tale faint memories surface in his mind, a girl with shiny auburn hair held in two cute pigtails. He remembered the incident quite clearly once prompted actually. Some boys with mutant type quirks were bullying a young girl. They had knocked her picture book from her hands, broken her crayons and were holding her glasses out of her range. Naturally, Toshinori could not let this go, he might be quirkless but he was going to become the best Hero the world had ever seen so with no time to think, his body just reacted and he rammed himself into the biggest of the children. The bullies couldn't have been more than 9, Toshinori himself was 7 but already big enough to pass as a 9-year-old as well. The girl seemed to be barely 5 years old. A brief brawl ensured and while Toshinori was beaten up quite a bit, he emerged victorious, and with a smile handed the glasses back to the girl. After helping her up and ensuring her safe return to her caretaker, Toshinori rushed back to his home.

Hitomi saw a contemplative look cross Yagi-sans head and with a tilt of her head asked him what he was thinking about.

"Oh, I was just remembering the incident in the park Tenshi-san, once you started the tale, I remembered the rest quite nicely. But that's not the only time we crossed ways, right? You mentioned middle school?" Toshinori couldn't be sure yet, but he thought that he was already remembering the rest, even before she continued on her tale.

"Yes, that is correct Yagi-san. After you saved me from those bullies, we never really crossed paths again until middle school. Though it was a brief time seeing as you were in your 3rd and final year of middle school before going on to try out for UA. I was only in my 1st year." Hitomi continued with her tale while Yagi-san reflected on the previously forgotten memories.

**_Flashback_**

Toshinori was just exiting the school building when he saw a group of boys and even some girls surround a figure on the ground. His instincts screamed at time to intervene so that's exactly what he did. Racing without thought into the mob he felt a sense of déjà vu as he saw a small girl with auburn hair cowering from the people around her. Her hair was combed into two pigtails and she also had glasses on her face. The fact that Toshinori was an upperclassman and quite tall served to avoid all conflict. With a smile and a helping hand the girl was brought back to her feet.

"Hello, I'm Yagi Toshinori from class 3A. I hope you're not hurt by that bunch of bullies."

The girl stared in silent awe at first, at first not used to somebody helping her, and then because she felt a flash of recognition with the blinding smile and kind blue eyes. The golden lion-like hair just sealed the deal. He was the same boy that had saved her from bullies some years ago. Realising she had yet to answer him she blushed a bright red.

"H-hi I'm Tenshi Hitomi from 1B. Th-thank you for helping me out. Th-they bully me all the time because my quirk is n-not flashy and I still can't control it very well." Hitomi looked down at the dirt in embarrassment, completely missing Yagi's shadowed expression.

"I see." With a bright smile Toshinori put one arm around Hitomi, an action that looked fairly ridiculous with how tall he was and how short Hitomi was. She had yet to have a growth spurt after all. "Well now you're going to have lunch with me every day, that way they won't bother you anymore. Sadly, I'm going to UA after this year, but I'll teach you some self-defence too so the other years I'm not there to scare bullies away you can hold your own!" All of this was declared in an overly loud and smiling voice, causing Hitomi to look up in amazement before smiling with glee.

Hitomi agreed and from then on no one bothered her again. There were some attempts once Yagi Toshinori graduated middle school, but after she successfully repelled the bullies twice, the finally left her alone. Teachers watching from afar remarked that it was a beautiful friendship and before long they went from calling each other by their last names to using their first names.

**_End flashback_**

"Tomi-chan! I remember you! How did you become a Pro Hero? I know you went to UA but I seem to recall you staying in General Studies?" Hitomi smiled when she heard her childhood nickname from Toshinori, he finally remembered her. While their friendship was true life hadn't let them spend that much time together, even at UA they only saw each other for lunch time, and again Toshinori was already a senior by the time she was in her first year.

"Toshi-kun, I'm glad your memory returned. As you know with a healing quirk, I don't actually apprehend villains, though thanks to you I can hold my own until help arrives and even overpower weak villains. I enrolled in General Studies and sought out Recovery Girl to pursue an apprenticeship with her, so I did all the licensing privately through her recommendations. Even though I have a healing quirk, I didn't actually want to become a full-time doctor. So, while I'm not out on patrol supporting heroes, I actually run my own bookstore. And sometimes will consult for the police."

Toshinori was amazed at what Hitomi did, he had to admit that he did thought her to be a medic full time, but glancing back on his memories, he recalled her always enjoying reading and just peace and quiet. Which was hilarious because she also shared a sense of heroism with him.

"Tomi-chan… th-that is can I still call you that? It's been years after all" Hitomi smiled.

"You may, as long as I still get to call you Toshi-kun"

Toshinori beamed back at her. "Of course, you may. Tomi-chan, I'm sorry for not seeking you out more during our shared year at UA. Truth is I was in a bad place and as soon as I graduated, I chose to study abroad in America as a way to also hide from my feelings." Toshinori paused as he felt a hand on his arm. He opened his eyes; (when had he closed them?) and looked into Tomi-chan's eyes. She didn't know the specifics of what had happened, yet she had stopped him from sharing.

"It's ok Toshi-kun. While I know you would've told me, your body language tells me you're still not ready to share, so I can wait. We can talk about other fun and inane things now" Smiling gratefully Toshinori took her hand in his.

"Thank you, Tomi-chan.,"

The rest of their coffee date; though neither was willing to admit that's what it was yet; they spent it recalling fun stories that had happened to each other while being separated. They parted ways with a promise to see each other again soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Days passed; Toshinori and Hitomi kept meeting for coffee as often as they could. After a last check up by Recovery Girl, Toshinori was deemed recovered enough to return to hero duties. Unfortunately his injury did have a toll on him as it seemed like he was unable to spend more than 12 hours in muscle form before his chest, more specifically his injured lung starting paining him and causing him to cough. Before his injury he could spend all day in muscle form, actually go to sleep in it and wake up still in muscle form. It was a shock to Toshinori who was used to being a hero 24/7, but at the same time it would've been much worse without Hitomi there. Slowly he adjusted to his new limited schedule.

Hitomi's fear was confirmed. Her quirk was depleted. That's not to say it wouldn't come back, but it would be a long time without using it, or using it as little as possible. Once Recovery Girl saw her struggling to heal a scratch, she was pulled from active hero duty. Left with just her bookstore and occasional consults, Hitomi entered into a small depressive state. Once Toshinori found out he was apologetic in the extreme. He was such a selfless person he blamed himself for getting injured and forcing her into depleting her quirk. Hitomi refused to accept his apologies, stating it was not his fault since he didn't force her to overuse her quirk, that was her decision and hers alone. It remained a brief point of contention between them, but Hitomi knew it would eventually get through his thick head.

Since Toshinori was cleared to go back to Hero work their coffee meetings started to decrease in number. Hitomi couldn't help but think that now that he could be a hero again, he didn't need her company. She was only a burden; keeping him from using his 12 hours of hero time to the fullest. A sharp pain seemed lodged in her heart. Toshinori clearly only wanted to interact with other heroes.

"Hitomi" Toshinori was looking into her eyes expectantly. Today was one of the few times you could meet and he noticed how upset you were about the fact you didn't meet as often as before.

"Hitomi please, won't you smile?" Toshinori wouldn't admit it yet, but he was feeling hurt by her seemingly standoffish nature. He didn't know what he had done to cause it.

"What for? You barely speak to me anymore? Is it something I said? Something I did?" Tears were beginning to cloud your eyes, though you refused to let them fall. You had come to terms with the fact that you wanted something more than friendship with Toshinori and then he started pulling away.

"What? No Hitomi, it's ju-just" He swallowed convulsively before starting again. "It's just I have realised that I have feelings f-for you, but didn't want to risk our friendship for something one-sided"

Your eyes widened and a confused "huh" left your mouth. "One-sided? Toshi-kun, I'm hurt because you started pulling away. You assumed I felt nothing for you when the truth is… the truth is I have feelings for you too. I have for a long time."

Once the confession was out in the air the silence that descended between you became heavy and charged. Hitomi couldn't believe she had confessed, then again, he said it first. It just was something that hadn't even crossed her mind. Taking into account who Toshinori was… he was All Might not just a Pro Hero, but THE Top Hero, The Symbol of Peace. And you were just Hitomi Tenshi, ER Hero: Eyir. While she was technically a Pro Hero, she worked exclusively in support and now she couldn't work as a Pro until her quirk depletion was done.

Toshinori was no better than Hitomi in the silence. All he could hear was his blood rushing through his ears. While as All Might he had women throwing their selves at his person, they didn't really want anything to do with him, with Toshinori. Not that they knew his name or true form. They just wanted the fame of having spent a night with All Might. He never really pursued a relationship with anyone. First because he was simply quirkless Toshinori, something that only Nana, Gran Torino, Sir Nighteye, and Nezu knew. Then it was because he was focused on becoming a hero, not just a hero but the Top Hero. A symbol under which the world could rally. Nana was killed and his third reason for remaining alone happened; All For One. He was no longer quirkless. He was The Symbol of Peace. And hopefully All For One had died from the disastrous blow he had dealt him, so what was holding him back now? Fear; he realised. Toshinori was afraid, not of the commitment, but of denying any future partner of his privacy, since media and paparazzi liked to follow him around as All Might.

Throwing caution to the wind Toshinori reached across the table and grabbed Hitomi's hand. She seemed to be in some sort of daze, but looked up when she felt his touch.

"Let's get out of here, we need to talk this through but I don't feel a public café to be the right place for this" Hitomi nodded at what he said and without another word, Toshinori left enough cash to pay for their coffees on the table, along with a decent tip and followed Hitomi out of the café. Neither of them knew where to go, but somehow, they seemed to end up in front of Toshinori's place. Also known as Might Towers. Going around the back he briefly turned into All Might and after checking it was ok with you, he grabbed you in a bridal hold and jumped all the way up to his balcony, simply to avoid the press of reporters that was permanently camped outside of Might Towers.

Wind ruffled Hitomi's hair and if she hadn't been in a daze, she probably would have enjoyed the fact that she was being carried in All Might's arms. The sudden stop caused her to finally focus on her surroundings. Technically it was not her first time inside Might Towers, seeing as while it was a hotel it also had top-notch security and meeting rooms where strategy meetings between Heroes and police regarding super villains were often held. It was however, her first time inside Toshinori's penthouse. In all their time meeting not once had either of them actually been inside each other's home. Curiosity overcame any of her previous feelings as she let herself study everything that her eyes could see. Surprisingly it was an open floor plan, allowing her to see a massive bed tucked away in a corner. It also had a comfortable looking couch and sectional with a flat screen tv. The kitchen was what surprised her the most. While it was definitely modern, for some reason Hitomi expected it to feel unused. The opposite happened; it had a lived-in feeling like the rest of the penthouse. She even spotted a huge red apron hanging nearby with #1 cook written in bold white letters.

Toshinori let her study his home to her heart's content. He gently let her down while, and deflating back to his normal form, he walked to his kitchen and prepared two cups of tea. He had a feeling the calming effects of the tea would be necessary. Once the tea was made, he walked towards the couch, knowing Hitomi would follow.

Taking the offered cup of tea Hitomi made herself comfortable in the couch, an oppressive silence descended over the duo. It seemed neither of them knew how to broach the topic. So they took to awkwardly drinking their tea while ignoring the elephant in the room. Soon enough the tea was finished and silence remained. Clearing her throat Hitomi decided to take the first step.

"So… you have feelings for me?" A blush decorated her face, and she wanted nothing more than to glance at the floor, but she bravely maintained eye-contact with Toshinori. "I just never imagined that my crush would be reciprocated. You're, well you, the Top Hero and I'm just Hitomi a support Hero that can't even work as support anymore"

"Stop." Hitomi heard him speak up. "Stop putting yourself down Tomi-chan" the use of her nickname made her focus on what he had to say.

"You are much more than just Hitomi to me. You were my hero; without you I would have died. Before that you were my friend. After my injury you became my friend once more but, as time went on, I knew I couldn't be just your friend. I saw you in a different light."

Tears started to gather in the corner of Hitomi's eyes when she listened to his heartfelt words. Yet a niggling feeling of doubt remained. How could he want you? Hitomi felt a hand gently grasping her chin. Without realizing it she had lowered her head and gaze to the floor. Allowing the hand to move her head, she found herself staring once more into Toshinori's blazing blue eyes.

"I want to be with you Hitomi. I'm no in love with you, at least not yet. I know I have feelings for you and would love to have you sharing them with me. Who knows maybe they will mature into love?" Hitomi had to give him kudos for being honest, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn't know if what she felt for Toshinori was love. She wanted a relationship with him, that's true, but as to whether or not she was in love with him remained to be seen.

Toshinori continued the conversation seeing as he now had her attention, "If we are together, I want to keep the fact that All Might is seeing someone under wraps" Confusion and a bit of shame swarmed in Hitomi's gaze. "I want to keep it under wraps to keep you safe, Hitomi. I know you can look after yourself, but the fact is my enemies are numerous and powerful, I could not live with myself if something happened to you because of the target painted to you by me being All Might. It is not because I am ashamed of you." When Toshinori continued explaining his reasoning, Hitomi's gaze cleared and she smiled shakily.

"I see." Taking a deep breath, Hitomi leaned towards Toshinori. "I think I can live with that for a while, now why don't we start this new relationship with a kiss?" Toshinori blushed at Hitomi's sudden forwardness but soon recovered, and with a rakish smile, leaned in and gave her a kiss.

The kiss was sweet and it lingered, but it was also tentative, this was their first kiss and neither was willing to push more, especially after their previous conversation, so after a brief time they separated with twin blushes gracing each other's faces. Neither of them knew it at the time, but this was the start of something out of the stories. Both would become better persons because of each other, and even stronger. And if anyone wanted to know why it all came down to quirks. The quirks were still largely a mystery to the world, even though they were so common at the same time. Scientists knew quirks evolved, and tended to become stronger down the generations, quirk marriages were also a thing to create new quirks, though they were frowned upon my most of society. Scientists also knew some quirks tended to go through a second evolution in the same person, changing how they worked or their strength. What they didn't know was that quirks could mix due to the amount of affinity a person showed to another one, like the myth about soulmates. It was the purest union between quirks and all possible evolutions. But it was also the slowest, taking years to mature and develop. What would come out of Toshinori's budding relationship with Hitomi, only time, devotion, and love could tell.


End file.
